Oct 31, 2015 4 min read

JEFFERSON – Don’t talk to Ryan Krull about seeds for the upcoming WPIAL football playoffs.

Don’t talk to him about possible opponents, travel or any other negatives associated with the event. Because here is what he knows:

After Carmichaels’ 28-0 victory Friday night over Jefferson-Morgan in a Class A Tri-County South Conference game, Krull’s Mikes are in the playoffs. And there are a lot of other teams that are envious of that position and would take it in a heartbeat.

The Mikes secured the fourth and final playoff berth by defeating the Rockets and will find out what seed they secured and where they must travel to play their first-round game at Monday night’s WPIAL football pairings meeting in Green Tree.

“We’re in the playoffs and we’re going to play somebody good,” said Krull, the Mikes third-year coach. “I am not ready to say we’re in the playoffs so good, we are ready to play a game then go home. Our goal is the same as it’s been every other week and the kids understand that.

“I know there are some people who will say, ‘Here’s your reward. You get to go in as a 15 seed.’ That kind of thinking is crazy to me. So, we’re afraid to get a positive result this Friday because we’re afraid of what we get next week. I don’t understand that.”

The win moves Carmichaels’ conference record to 5-3 with an overall mark to 5-4. Jefferson-Morgan is 4-4 and 4-5. The Mikes are in the playoffs for the first time since 2013 and extended their series lead over the Rockets to 53-32-5.

And they have a stout defensive effort and the running of Shawn Dulaney to thank. The Mikes defense bottled up the Rockets’ running game, produced turnovers and turned J-M away on fourth down five times.

Meanwhile, Dulaney produced three touchdowns and a two-point conversion run, and saw his first action on defense since returning from a torn knee ligament in his right leg that cost him four games of the season.

“I was a little nervous and (worried) that this could be our last game,” said Dulaney. “I had a lot of emotions.”

Dulaney scored touchdowns in the first quarter on runs of 22 yards with 2:30 remaining and one yard with just 14 seconds to give Carmichaels a 12-0 lead. The second TD was a backbreaker for Jefferson-Morgan because of the way it happened: a bobbled snap to the punter on fourth down and Carmichaels gaining possession at the one.

“It was definitely a momentum-changer, but I think the score speaks to our kids (wanting to continue) to play,” said Krull. “We always preach the next play, the next play. We continued to play snap after snap.”

The bobbled snap was one of a number of mistakes by the Rockets. They were penalized 10 times for 73 yards, including two personal foul calls that kept a drive alive in the second quarter. Dulaney scored on a four-yard run to give the Mikes a 20-0 halftime lead.

“We handed them one there,” said Jefferson-Morgan head coach Aaron Giorgi. “I give them credit. They came out ready to play and we weren’t. I think that was the difference. We weren’t ready to play. I don’t know if it was because of Senior Night but we just weren’t firing.”

Dulaney, a senior, finished with 84 yards on 14 carries and made tackle after tackle on defense. Oh, and Dulaney stands 5-6 and weighs 160 pounds.

“I was happy to make the plays I made tonight,” he said. “When I was told I had a torn ACL, I was worried if I could make it back. I worked my way back into it and played on both sides of the ball for the first time.”

Like the rest of the team, Dulaney doesn’t care what team awaits next week in the playoffs.

“Just bring it on,” he said.

David Morgan threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Brody Blaker in the fourth quarter. … Coty Allen rushed for 73 yards on 15 carries for the Mikes. … Joe Headlee ran for 56 yards on 18 carries for the Rockets.